A lot depends on what part of Eagan she's working in. If she's working more in the northern part, then the SE corner of Minneapolis (near the airport) or parts of Richfield might not be a horrible commutes. But if she's more in the southern part, then Rosemount or maybe parts of Bloomington or Burnsville might be better.

If she's concerned about the safety of the neighborhood, most of the local police departments publish crime statistics (in Minneapolis at least, it's by neighborhood), so if she Googles "Crime Statistics Eagan" (for example), she should find some helpful information.

Rental vacancy rates are pretty low right now, so rents are higher at the moment. Not having pets will help a bit.

I would recco Apple Valley or Eagan for proximity. I find Inver Grove very spread out and depending on the location of her job, IGH can be far and sketchy. I agree about Burnsville having sketchy areas, there are some nice areas around the town center that have nice rentals.

There are also sketchy areas of Eagan. While it is a generally nice area, every area has that part that one shouldn't or wouldn't want to live.

I live in Rosemount and it is 15 minutes away from Eagan. There are decent rentals here, but I would stay out of the rentals on Shannon Pkway just off Dodd. They are townhouse looking homes.

When I was in the process of moving to MN, I was always warned about the commute and traffic. I went against my realtor b/c she though we were moving too far from my husband's work. Turns out, most of his office lives near us. The commutes really aren't that bad unless it is during a rain or snow storm or accident.

I would avoid I35 and 494 routes... both are horrendous.. Cedar (77) isn't really that bad compared to the two interstates. Eagan, Apple Valley, Rosemount and parts of Burnsville are good choices. I have never cared for Inver Grove Heights or Mendota. I don't know why. I think there are just some nicer areas available.

I don't shop rentals enough to know but I think IGH and Mendota are overpriced for homes. But they would put OP close to eagan, and if the rental prices are good they aren't in a bad area.

Rosemount is good, but it is getting her farther from Eagan depending on where she goes (cause it is also pretty sprawling).

I think she needs to start perusing the renters warehouse or similar sites, and find some areas to look at and maybe have us help narrow it down (cause we are helpful:)

There are two main routes to Eagan from Rosemount - Pilot Knob connecting from 42/Diamond Path/McAndrews and Hwy 3 to the north side of Eagan that connects to 55/494/Lexington. That is also the connecter to IGH and Mendota. The latter hwy 3 route connects more to the industrial part of Eagan, but there are some nice homes back there too. I don't think a 15 minute drive is all that bad, but living in Eagan would be the ideal .. .the drawback is rental costs would be a bit higher. Rosemount is also a bit more isolated in terms of shopping/Restaurants. There is FAR more in Eagan.

A lot depends on what part of Eagan she's working in. If she's working more in the northern part, then the SE corner of Minneapolis (near the airport) or parts of Richfield might not be a horrible commutes. But if she's more in the southern part, then Rosemount or maybe parts of Bloomington or Burnsville might be better.

If she's concerned about the safety of the neighborhood, most of the local police departments publish crime statistics (in Minneapolis at least, it's by neighborhood), so if she Googles "Crime Statistics Eagan" (for example), she should find some helpful information.

Rental vacancy rates are pretty low right now, so rents are higher at the moment. Not having pets will help a bit.

There is also the area of South Minneapolis around 62/55 that might work. There are lots of rentals in that area.. I don't know the name of it if she could cross 55 into Eagan. S. Minneapolis is highly transient though.

A lot depends on what part of Eagan she's working in. If she's working more in the northern part, then the SE corner of Minneapolis (near the airport) or parts of Richfield might not be a horrible commutes. But if she's more in the southern part, then Rosemount or maybe parts of Bloomington or Burnsville might be better.

If she's concerned about the safety of the neighborhood, most of the local police departments publish crime statistics (in Minneapolis at least, it's by neighborhood), so if she Googles "Crime Statistics Eagan" (for example), she should find some helpful information.

Rental vacancy rates are pretty low right now, so rents are higher at the moment. Not having pets will help a bit.

There is also the area of South Minneapolis around 62/55 that might work. There are lots of rentals in that area.. I don't know the name of it if she could cross 55 into Eagan. S. Minneapolis is highly transient though.

The 62/55 area is near the airport, so potential airport noise is a consideration to keep in mind in that area. Crossing 55 and/or 62 isn't typically a huge issue, just takes a bit of getting used to and learning the alternatives if traffic is exceptionally bad for some reason.

I know that there's a fair bit of new development (some of it including new apartments) going on along the light rail line that goes down Hiawatha Ave (aka 55). So that might be worth checking out.

I wasn't actually able to go with her for the trip up to see the apartments, but she saw almost 10 of them in Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Minneapolis, and Inver Grove Heights. I got a couple of sad texts on the first day when she fell in love with a property in that wouldn't be available until a week to possibly two weeks after her job starts up again, some scared texts when she came across a place or two that was bad but still expensive. Then the next day I got super excited texts when she toured a property that gave her deja vu - same layouts as the beloved unavailable apartment complex, same amenities, lower price - and available immediately. Turns out it was the same company who owned both and they'd essentially built the same property in two different cities. It was a little less nice, as in shiny/new, but the commute is less and there are routes that do avoid 494 and the other big highways. She received word that her application was accepted, so I'm driving up with her and all her stuff next weekend, and I can already tell how much more excited she is about the move than before when there was all this uncertainty.

I wasn't actually able to go with her for the trip up to see the apartments, but she saw almost 10 of them in Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Minneapolis, and Inver Grove Heights. I got a couple of sad texts on the first day when she fell in love with a property in that wouldn't be available until a week to possibly two weeks after her job starts up again, some scared texts when she came across a place or two that was bad but still expensive. Then the next day I got super excited texts when she toured a property that gave her deja vu - same layouts as the beloved unavailable apartment complex, same amenities, lower price - and available immediately. Turns out it was the same company who owned both and they'd essentially built the same property in two different cities. It was a little less nice, as in shiny/new, but the commute is less and there are routes that do avoid 494 and the other big highways. She received word that her application was accepted, so I'm driving up with her and all her stuff next weekend, and I can already tell how much more excited she is about the move than before when there was all this uncertainty.

Thank you for all the tips everyone!

That's a great update! I hope she's happy here in MN; moving here from other areas can be tough, even if you think you know what you're in for in terms of weather and cold and such. I thought I knew what winter and cold was like, coming from Colorado. I was wrong. I love the state in the spring and fall though, with how green it gets and then when the leaves change color and it's apple picking season!

A lot depends on what part of Eagan she's working in. If she's working more in the northern part, then the SE corner of Minneapolis (near the airport) or parts of Richfield might not be a horrible commutes. But if she's more in the southern part, then Rosemount or maybe parts of Bloomington or Burnsville might be better.

If she's concerned about the safety of the neighborhood, most of the local police departments publish crime statistics (in Minneapolis at least, it's by neighborhood), so if she Googles "Crime Statistics Eagan" (for example), she should find some helpful information.

Rental vacancy rates are pretty low right now, so rents are higher at the moment. Not having pets will help a bit.

There is also the area of South Minneapolis around 62/55 that might work. There are lots of rentals in that area.. I don't know the name of it if she could cross 55 into Eagan. S. Minneapolis is highly transient though.

The 62/55 area is near the airport, so potential airport noise is a consideration to keep in mind in that area. Crossing 55 and/or 62 isn't typically a huge issue, just takes a bit of getting used to and learning the alternatives if traffic is exceptionally bad for some reason.

I know that there's a fair bit of new development (some of it including new apartments) going on along the light rail line that goes down Hiawatha Ave (aka 55). So that might be worth checking out.

Hiawatha is hte area I was thinking of. A friend of mine lives a few blocks from there on the S. Minneapolis side, near Lake street. NOT a good area.

I wasn't actually able to go with her for the trip up to see the apartments, but she saw almost 10 of them in Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Minneapolis, and Inver Grove Heights. I got a couple of sad texts on the first day when she fell in love with a property in that wouldn't be available until a week to possibly two weeks after her job starts up again, some scared texts when she came across a place or two that was bad but still expensive. Then the next day I got super excited texts when she toured a property that gave her deja vu - same layouts as the beloved unavailable apartment complex, same amenities, lower price - and available immediately. Turns out it was the same company who owned both and they'd essentially built the same property in two different cities. It was a little less nice, as in shiny/new, but the commute is less and there are routes that do avoid 494 and the other big highways. She received word that her application was accepted, so I'm driving up with her and all her stuff next weekend, and I can already tell how much more excited she is about the move than before when there was all this uncertainty.

Thank you for all the tips everyone!

That's a great update! I hope she's happy here in MN; moving here from other areas can be tough, even if you think you know what you're in for in terms of weather and cold and such. I thought I knew what winter and cold was like, coming from Colorado. I was wrong. I love the state in the spring and fall though, with how green it gets and then when the leaves change color and it's apple picking season!

Can you tell us what city she decided on?

Yes, I am curious too.

It is also hard to make friends here. I don't know her age range, but she she might want to check out meetup.com so she can meet new people. That is how we made most of our friends. While Minnesota is friendly, Minnesota Nice does not usually extend to inviting you out with established groups of friends.

I wasn't actually able to go with her for the trip up to see the apartments, but she saw almost 10 of them in Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Minneapolis, and Inver Grove Heights. I got a couple of sad texts on the first day when she fell in love with a property in that wouldn't be available until a week to possibly two weeks after her job starts up again, some scared texts when she came across a place or two that was bad but still expensive. Then the next day I got super excited texts when she toured a property that gave her deja vu - same layouts as the beloved unavailable apartment complex, same amenities, lower price - and available immediately. Turns out it was the same company who owned both and they'd essentially built the same property in two different cities. It was a little less nice, as in shiny/new, but the commute is less and there are routes that do avoid 494 and the other big highways. She received word that her application was accepted, so I'm driving up with her and all her stuff next weekend, and I can already tell how much more excited she is about the move than before when there was all this uncertainty.

Thank you for all the tips everyone!

That's a great update! I hope she's happy here in MN; moving here from other areas can be tough, even if you think you know what you're in for in terms of weather and cold and such. I thought I knew what winter and cold was like, coming from Colorado. I was wrong. I love the state in the spring and fall though, with how green it gets and then when the leaves change color and it's apple picking season!

Can you tell us what city she decided on?

Yes, I am curious too.

It is also hard to make friends here. I don't know her age range, but she she might want to check out meetup.com so she can meet new people. That is how we made most of our friends. While Minnesota is friendly, Minnesota Nice does not usually extend to inviting you out with established groups of friends.

If her interests are geeky at all, she could consider checking out the Geek Partnership Society http://geekpartnership.org/. It is, to the best of my knowledge, the only geek-oriented community center in North America. Once she's settled in, volunteering for something important to her is a good way to meet people, and a natural ice-breaker, too.